1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved preferably non-metallic crayfish trap that can be folded substantially flat for storage and/or transport wherein plastic wall panels have scores or hinges that allow funnels or inlet cones to be instantly formed upon assembly to define inlets for crayfish, the upper ends of the walls defining an outlet for emptying the trap of its harvested contents.
2. General Background
Crayfish traps have traditionally been constructed of a wire material such as a woven wire mesh material. This wire mesh is often coated with a plastic such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
The flexing of the wire can cause cracking of the plastic over time, allowing water to contact the metal wire. Water begins to create a rust problem that can render the trap useless, as holes develop in the trap through which the crayfish can escape.
Wire traps are very labor intensive. The wire must be manufactured, cut, formed to a desired shape and then sealed along seams all usually by hand labor. A degree of skill is also required to assemble wire traps properly because of size and shape requirements. If the trap is poorly constructed, inlet openings can be too small so that crayfish can't enter, or too large so that they easily escape.
Another problem with wire traps is an inability to retain their shape after repeated use. These traps typically need to sit flat against a water bottom. Repeated raising/lowering of the traps causes them to gradually deform, so that they do not register upon the bottom. Their inlets can deform over time permitting escape of the trapped creatures.
Metal fatigue is a problem that has long plagued the wire traps. After repeated handling, they tend to crack and fail.
Storage and transportation of traps presents a tremendous problem. Traps are used by commercial crayfish farmers in the tens of thousands in many cases. These traps must be transported to and from the farm at least twice and sometimes four times during a year. A small boat can usually carry about twenty five to fifty traps. The boats must be small because crayfish farms are a shallow water environment, usually having less than two feet of water depth. Thus hundreds of trips are required by boat to place the thousands of traps that are usually deployed. Wire traps are permanently erected structures that cannot be collapsed for saving space in storage and transport.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved crayfish trap that can be collapsed for storage, preferably to a fully flattened position.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved crayfish trap of entirely nonmetallic construction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved crayfish trap having a configuration that affords resistance to deformation even after repeated uses.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a crayfish trap apparatus that instantly defines both inlet openings for catching crayfish, and an outlet opening for emptying the trap upon assembly of the trap.